A Short Course BookUsing Your Digital CameraA Guide To Great Photographs

Types Of Digital Cameras

This old Kodak ad slogan now applies to the entire field of digital photography.

Pentax makes underwater cameras including the Optio WPi.

SLR cameras from major companies have more lenses than you'll ever need.

When it comes time to choose a new digital camera, there is quite a range of types to choose from. You are often trading off size versus features. Pocket sized cameras usually don't have as many features as larger cameras, but they are much more convenient. The best news is that despite their great differences, most cameras will capture very high-quality images, especially when used to create snapshot-sized prints.

With kiosks everywhere, it's easy to shoot and then just print the images you want.

Point and shoot cameras usually have fewer controls than other digital cameras but many are also small, bordering on tiny. With a camera that fits into your pocket, you're more likely to have it when you need it.

Camera phone quality is improving rapidly with 8 Megapixel models already available in some parts of the world. In time these cameras may present real competition to point and shoot cameras.

The fastest selling point and shoot digital cameras are those built into camera phones. The problem with these cameras is that their image quality is improving very slowly and doesn't yet match that of dedicated cameras.

One-time-use cameras take surprisingly good pictures and some even have a monitor on which you can review your results.

Digital photography has already matured to the point where there are onetime use point and shoot versions.

Fixed lens cameras often have great zoom lenses and capture large images

High-end fixed lens cameras usually have a zoom lens and many of the exposure and focus controls found on SLR cameras.

DIRTY SECRET
Removing the lens from an SLR lets dust enter the camera and settle on the sensor. This dust creates dark spots in your images. You can remove the dust yourself but it's risky

One of the most popular camera types among professionals and serious amateurs is the single-lens reflex, better known as a digital SLR. These cameras are expensive but have certain advantages over other camera types:

You can change lenses.

You see the scene through the lens so what you see is what you get. (Fixed lens cameras with electronic viewfinders differ from SLRs in that they don't use a movable mirror to bounce light into the viewfinder).

You can select from a large variety of accessories, including powerful flash units.